Assasin's Bane
by SpiriterGirl
Summary: Nothing matters to her except for the kill and how much money she can make doing it... until she gets sent after him. Co-written with ToTheJourney2014
1. Chapter 1

"Go to Greece, seek out Prince Dareios and kill him. I want his head on a platter," Zeus roared as Ana stood before him unphased by the request. She tossed her long dark hair back over her shoulder and looked into the silver eyes of the Head of the Greek Pantheon.

"You've been calling for a lot of heads lately Zeus. I don't usually ask questions before the kill, but this will be fourteen in a week. I want to know what your issue is with them before they ask for my life as recompense for your envious whimsy.

"What is this mass murder about," she questioned him using a dagger to sharpen the end of a piece of wood. Zeus turned to her and would have charged her, but something stopped him. He growled and turned back to the ocean view of Ana's home on the Isle of Atlantis.

"I don't pay you to ask questions Ana. Are their people hunting you? Does someone want you dead," he asked her changing the subject. She scoffed and set down the now pointed stake.

"They don't know I'm there before they die. Their relatives have no idea as to who would want their son, husband, or father dead, but I want to know." She glared up at him walking towards a bench on the balcony.

"Something is bothering you Zeus and I think you're searching for a specific human. Why not describe him and send me after him instead of these men who don't matter. I would rather kill something that can put up a good fight," she taunted the Head of the Greek pantheon. She sat on the bench before she lay down on her side watching him and she saw the contemplation in his eyes.

He growled in frustration and stomped over to her in a pure rage. She twisted a curl of her hair between two fingers and that stopped him. His eyes dropped to her hand as a breeze swept through the house blowing more of her hair forward. He blinked at her and then crossed his arms over his chest.

"Just kill Dareios and I'll pay your price," he scowled walking the last two steps over to the bench. He knelt down on one knee and took a strand of her curling hair in his hand. He put the strand to his nose and breathed in the jasmine and vanilla of her natural scent.

She stared at him and sat up making sure her peplos stayed in place. Zeus watched her hair run through his fingers and he smiled up at her the same way his son Apollo had done three weeks ago. She glared down at him and tossed her hair over her shoulder again.

"I haven't named my price. You shouldn't make a promise you can't keep," she chided him as he moved to sit on the bench beside her. She stood up and stepped away from him as shivers ran over her skin.

"Name your price Apollonia. I can pay anything you wish," he promised using her full name as she turned back to glare at him. She hated her full name and he knew that better than anyone else. She saw the want in his eyes and his desire to take her. She hated him to her core.

She never told anyone of her encounters with the gods, not even gods knew which of them had come to her. She wanted to keep things secretive and some of the gods had taken advantage of that while others understood her preferences.

Zeus was the worst of the gods. He was self-righteous, bigoted, and a pig, but no one saw that. They treated him like an omniscient god, but he wasn't all-knowing or all-powerful. In her eyes he was pathetic.

"I don't want to see you in my house ever again. You've had your quota for a lifetime," she reprimanded him through her teeth. He nodded then stood up and walked toward the doors.

"You're only avoiding the temptation. I was breaking you Ana. Just because you can't admit it to yourself, doesn't mean it'll disappear," he taunted her at the threshold. With a flick of her wrist Zeus was sent from her temple in a flourish of wind.

She sat down on the bench again and hugged herself. She knew that he was right. It'd been nine years since the Fates had called for the soul of her betrothed and she'd lived without the touch of a male ever since.

Seeing Zeus fifteen times in a week was too much. There was a reason she stayed away from human and demon men alike. They were too tempting.

Their lives were short, their wants were fickle, and their lust was far more powerful than any god she'd ever met. She wanted to kill again. It gave her a thrill akin to what she'd felt by her betrothed's side.

She stood up and walked over to the stake she'd left on the table. She had a stake with the name of each and every person she'd ever killed written on the side. The name on the stake's kept her focused on her next kill.

She was infamous for being cold and unfeeling when she killed. She wanted it that way, she wished it was that way, but it wasn't. She usually had time in between kills to gather her wits about her, but Zeus hadn't allowed it.

She flashed the stake into a small purse she kept by the door and then she levitated it to her. She flashed down to the Greek city of Olous on the isle of Crete sensing the man Zeus wanted was there.

She manifested a cloak that fell to the street bellow her with a hood to cover her face before she stepped out into the busy street. She walked in the middle of the street watching the pathetic humans and their families walking unaware of her presence among them.

If they saw her face she would've been mobbed. Being the daughter of Enyo Greek goddess of War and destruction and an unknown evil deity meant that she was death itself.

She could kill anyone with a thought, but that wasn't what gave her a high. She preferred to use brute strength and seduction to do the gods dirty work.

She was wise, cunning, and seductive. Anyone who saw her lusted after her, but she'd chosen the man the gods had cursed. It was in her nature to like the darkness and become seduced by it.

She walked through the streets thinking about her next kill trying to visualize him in her mind. Nothing would come and that frustrated her. _Who was this Prince Dareios? Why couldn't she figure him out even in his city?_

She walked out to the cliffs and sat on the edge dropping her hood. She needed to feel the sea breeze on her face and think of Dareios face.

She needed to know the man she was asked to kill.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Prince Dareios of Olous woke up with a smile on his face and stretched his arms over his head as he got out of bed. He had a feeling that today was going to be the most important day of his life, yet he knew of nothing that was happening that would make it any different than any other day. He sighed and dressed himself before going down to the dining hall to join his parents for breakfast.

Once breakfast was finished, he kissed his parents and left them with the promise of bringing his betrothed back with him when he returned that evening to enjoy the evening meal with them. He left the castle and made his way through the streets, keeping a slow pace so that his guards would not lose track of him. While he did not like having to take guards with him everywhere he went, he understood the reasons for having them.

"Good morrow, Prince Dareios!" a man's voice called out above the crowd as the prince entered the marketplace in Olous. "I trust you are doing well on this fine day?" He pushed a few of his wares closer to the edge of his stand so that the prince could get a better look at them.

"I am, Meiros. Thank you," Prince Dareios replied. He stepped up to the man's stand and began to look at what he had to offer. "You have gotten in some new pieces," he commented.

"I have, your lordship," Meiros responded. "And I will have even more as the date of your wedding approaches. Everyone is high with the anticipation of you and Princess Lena of Delphi joining together." He beamed when the prince picked up one of his best brooches. "You have always had the best eye, Prince Dareios."

"Thank you, Meiros," Prince Dareios answered. He nodded as he studied the brooch. "I like this one. I shall take it with me." He looked at a few more pieces, picking out a set of jeweled hair combs. "Please have these sent to the palace for my mother."

"Very good, Sir. I shall have it done immediately," Meiros said. He bowed low as Prince Dareios turned and walked away from his stand to continue his journey through the marketplace. He continued to watch the prince until he disappeared amongst the crowd of people before snapping his fingers. "You heard the prince," he stated, turning toward a young boy. "Wrap those jeweled hair combs immediately and take them to the palace!" He smacked the young boy around the ears. "I swear I should take you to the temple and beg Zeus to turn you into a snail. Perhaps then you will move a little faster!"

Prince Dareios bought a few more things before coming to the far end of the marketplace. His face brightened as he saw a lady sitting on a stool beside the last shop. "You came," he said, holding his hands out toward her. As she took them into her own, he leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I know you are busy making the arrangements for our special day, Princess Lena."

Princess Lena smiled in response to the greeting. She squeezed Prince Dareios's hands before releasing them to curtsy before him. "I would do anything you ask of me, my Lord." She glanced toward the two guards who were accompanying him. "Perhaps your guards would like to join mine for some leisure time, while you and I take a walk?" she suggested, motioning toward where two men were standing a few feet away.

Prince Dareios nodded and turned toward his guards. "You are to stay here with the guards of Princess Lena. The two of us will be fine on our own." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Do not make me tell my parents of your unfaithfulness to them by going against my orders." Once he was sure that his guards would not follow them, he offered the princess his arm. "Shall we? We have much to discuss."

Princess Lena smiled and slipped her arm through his. "That sounds like a wonderful idea," she answered. She kept the smile on her face as the two of them walked slowly away from the marketplace and onto a trail that wound its way through the trees that bordered the town. As soon as they were far enough away that there was no chance of them being overheard, she stopped walking and pulled away from him. "I do not know how we are going to pull this off!" she exclaimed quietly. She glanced around them. "I fear more and more every day that our secret will be revealed. If that happens, my life is forfeit!"

Prince Dareios sighed and pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head. "Have I not promised you that everything will work out just the way you wish for it to?" he questioned. He pushed her back far enough to be able to look down into her eyes. "Since the day I found you inside Zeus's temple and heard you begging him not to choose you, I knew I had to keep you safe." He sighed. "I know that neither of us are in love with the other, but do we not have the perfect plan to guarantee that you wind up with the one you want?"

Princess Lena took a deep breath and nodded her head. "You are right, of course, Prince Dareios. I am just being paranoid. There is so much that we are taking on chance."

Prince Dareios smiled as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. "I know what you need," he commented, turning her in his arms so that she could see who was approaching.

"Thanos!" Princess Lena called out, pulling herself free of Prince Dareios' arms and rushing over to the man who was approaching. She threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Thanos pulled Princess Lena tighter against his body and pressed his lips hard to hers. He threaded his fingers through her hair, moaning as she responded to his kiss.

Princess Lena was breathing heavy when she finally pulled herself back from the kiss. "How did you get here?" she asked, her eyes wide with amazement.

"Prince Dareios sent word for me to meet the two of you here," Thanos explained. He glanced over at the prince, moving away from the princess enough to be able to shake the other man's hand. "Thank you so much, Prince Dareios. I can never repay you enough for what you are doing."

"Do not be thanking me yet. I am still working out the final details for you to take my place at the altar on the day of the ceremony, but there are still several things that need to be taken care of." He gave them both a smile. "I will take my leave of you now and go spend some time up on the cliffs above the ocean." He looked at Princess Lena. "I will return for you in one hour. My parents are expecting you to dine with us this evening."


	3. Chapter 3

Ana sat on one of the rocks along the cliffs close to the ocean and tried to focus her mind on Prince Dareios, but there was something that was inhibiting her from being able to do it. She growled and closed her eyes, letting the wind move her hair back from her face. She knew that Zeus wanted the prince dead, but she hadn't named a price for the job yet. She debated what to ask for, knowing she would hold him to the deal no matter how much he whined about it. She put her hand down on the ground and ran her fingers along the sand, doodling symbols that showed her parentage. As she heard footsteps approaching, she rubbed the symbols away so that whoever it was wouldn't question her about them. She listened to the footfalls and determined that it was a male, around six foot three and weighing approximately one hundred and sixty pounds. Turning in the direction of the sound, she saw a man walking onto the cliff area who was dressed in a chiton that was clearly expensive.

Prince Dareios stepped onto his favorite area of the cliffs and stretched his arms over his head, not yet noticing that he was not alone. He stared out over the ocean, completely lost in his own thoughts as he debated what the best course of action would be for him to take. After a few moments, he settled himself down on top of one of the boulders and closed his eyes as he allowed the sounds of the ocean to calm and relax him.

Ana watched the man sit down as she slowly stood up. She wanted to leave before he spotted her, because she knew that if one person saw her she could be accused of the murder of the prince once her task was completed... if she could ever figure out who the prince was. "Curse Zeus for not giving me more information about the prince and why he wants him dead," she said under her breath, growling as she brushed her skirt off. When she started to walk away from the cliff, the ground began to rumble. "Damn you to Tartarus, Matera!" she cursed her mother as the ground beneath her feet gave way, the sound of the crumbling earth hiding all sound of her voice. She barely managed to grab the edge of what was now the new face of the cliff in that area to keep herself from plummeting down onto the sharp rocks below.

Prince Dareios heard the roaring sound as the earth began to break up and looked around. He gasped in shock as he saw the woman fall, rushing over to the area and grabbing her arm just as she grabbed the edge. "Hold on!" he shouted. "I have you!" He looked down at her as he braced his feet into a firmer position. "I will not allow you to fall. I promise." He studied the area around her and held out his other hand for her to grab. "Can you climb?" he asked.

She nodded and clutched his arms tight. She put her feet on the side of the cliff, using his arms to help her up before she climbed up and over him. She rolled onto the grass and took a deep breath looking up at the sky. She was lucky her mother hadn't killed her, and if this man hadn't have been watching she would have teleported back to the city. She was glad that he was here and that he'd saved her, but there was something about him that seemed off. "Thank you for saving me," she breathed as she caught her breath. She turned her head to look at the rugged stranger, the quality of his clothing catching her off guard. His peplos was made of satin, and that wasn't the usual fabric for this tiny town. He was the prince. She was sure of it.

Prince Dareios shook his head, keeping one hand on her shoulder to make sure she was steady on her feet before he stepped back to give her space to breathe. "It was my pleasure," he told her in a smooth voice. The slightest hint of a smirk appeared on his face. "It would have been a real shame to have lost a beauty such as yourself." He gave her a slight bow. "If you are sure you are okay, madam, I must apologize and excuse myself. My presence is needed elsewhere in a few minutes." He gave her a final smile before turning and walking back the way he had come, knowing it was almost time to meet back up with Princess Lena and Thanos.

"Please wait," She called while she hurried to catch up to him. "Would you mind if I walked back with you?" she asked as a heat ran up into her cheeks for the second time today. _'Why, today, is it this difficult to be around men?' _she wondered to herself. It was even difficult for her to be around mere mortals, which was usually not hard for her at all.

Prince Dareios took a few moments to consider her request, but he knew that he couldn't allow her to go with him. No one could know that Princess Lena was really in love with Thanos instead of him. It would ruin everything, and he would not be able to arrange for his two friends to marry. "I am sorry, but my friends would be upset if I brought a stranger with me. However, I will walk you back to Olous before I meet up with them." He offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

She put her hand in the crook of his arm and gave a small nod. "I can understand that your friends would be upset. They would probably fear for your safety, since you know nothing about me," she commented as they began to walk. She wanted to know more about him, because she didn't want to kill another innocent human. She could hear the voice of her mother reprimanding her. /"Humans are far from innocent. All of them have lied, cheated, or stolen something in their lifetimes."/ Her mother had been right about most humans, but he seemed different.

"They know they have no need to fear for my safety," Prince Dareios responded. "If I am delayed, they will understand." He kept her on the safest path back to Olous, nodding his head and giving her a slight bow. "It has been a pleasure, m'lady, but now I really must return for my friends." He took her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the back of it. "Perhaps we shall see each other again sometime."

She inclined her head In a small now and gave him an even smaller curtsy. "Perhaps, or perhaps not. The fates are a fickle sort, but even if we meet again I won't be able to talk with you because you haven't given me your name," she countered testing his character.

"My apologies, milady," he said in an apologetic voice. "I am Prince Dareios of Olous, and it is my pleasure to welcome you to our fair city. If there is anything you require during your stay here, leave word at the palace. I will take care of you while you remain here for your visit."


End file.
